You Can Keep Apple From Collecting Your Most Private MacBook Data

Your Mac collects a lot of usage data to improve macOS and Apple's own apps. Quite a bit of that data is collected by default, and it's good to be aware of it. Apple is quite good at declaring how and why it collects data, and almost always, this information is easy to find and understand. The company also encrypts a lot of the data that it collects, which means that Apple cannot read it. Having said that, I think all kinds of data collection should be opt-in, and not enabled by default. Here's how to review data collection settings on your Mac and use third-party tools to ensure that your computer isn't phoning home any more than is necessary.

And since we're on the subject of privacy, also consider opting out tracking by data brokers and stopping Apple from collecting data on your iPhone. 

Use a third-party firewall

Credit: Little Snitch

Although Apple offers its own firewall, it's not helpful if you want to monitor Apple's own data collection. Third-party firewalls work quite well on macOS, which is far less restrictive than iOS is here. You can use apps such as Little Snitch ($63), Radio Silence ($9), or even the free LuLu to keep an eye on apps and services that phone home. With a good firewall app, you'll be able to block outgoing connections (even Apple's own) and reduce tracking. 

Sometimes, it is important for your Mac to phone home, because that's how you get automatic software updates, but there are plenty of times when it's not needed at all. You can use your firewall app to monitor all these connections and block unnecessary ones.

Turn off Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence has a few redeeming features, but I find that it slows down my M1 MacBook Air a bit, and since it also requires you to send your data to Apple's servers, I prefer to turn it off. Yes, Apple Intelligence does encrypt data, but it still doesn't perform all actions on-device. If you're uncomfortable with your Mac using Apple's cloud services for AI features, you can turn off Apple Intelligence by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and going to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri.

Reduce Siri's data collection

As the Siri spying settlement confirms, you should be wary of Apple's data collection using its voice assistant. Apple is now quite transparent about how your data is processed for Siri, and you can go to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri to check what the company has to say for yourself. Click the About Siri, Dictation & Privacy button and you'll see that Apple does store and process your Siri transcripts. This is another form of data collection, which you can avoid by disabling Siri and dictation. On the Siri settings page on your Mac, click Delete Siri & Dictation History and then click Delete to remove stored data. Then, turn off Siri. Finally, go to System Settings > Keyboard and turn off Dictation to complete the process.

Disable Apple analytics

When you use your Mac, Apple collects a fair bit of data to track app crashes, macOS bugs, and usage to decide which new features to work on next. This data is usually anonymized before being shared with Apple or third-party developers, but you can still review it and decide if you want to share it at all. Just go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements on your Mac and go through all the options. I've disabled everything on this page.

Check Apple's location access

Credit: Pranay Parab

As a rule of thumb, I deny location access to practically every app on my Mac. Even so, I was surprised to see location access enabled for the computer's system apps. You can verify which of your apps have location access by going to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and clicking the Details button next to System Services. Go through the entire list and disable location access for services that don't need it. You should leave it enabled for essential services such as Find My, but it's okay to disable location access for Mac Analytics and a few others. 

You can also click the Details button next to Significant Locations to see the location information Apple has collected on your frequent hangouts, and optionally delete it and revoke access to future data collection. Note that this information is encrypted and cannot be read by Apple. The company says it uses the info to show useful details in Photos, Maps, Calendar, and other system apps.

Reduce personalized advertising

Over the past few years, Apple has been pushing its own ads quite a bit. The situation is far less dire on the Mac than it is on your iPhone, but it still is annoying to see ads in the Mac App Store. You can't block these entirely, but you can go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising and disable Personalized Ads.

iCloud alternatives on the Mac

To complete your review of Apple's data collection on the Mac, you're going to have to scrutinize iCloud, too. iOS is restrictive enough that no service is as good as iCloud for syncing and backing up your data. However, macOS is far more accommodating, and you don't really need to use iCloud as much as you do on iOS. Some system apps such as Apple Notes, Messages, Calendar, and Reminders rely on iCloud for syncing, but otherwise you can look for alternative services to back up your Mac.

Note that using cloud storage services exposes you to data collection by default. You just have to decide if you want Apple to collect your data or opt for another company. Some people prefer to keep their data spread out across different services while others don't mind having it all in one place. The good news is that you can use dedicated online backup services such as Backblaze ($99/year) on the Mac, which isn't possible on the iPhone. You can also easily create offline backups using Time Machine or third-party apps such as Carbon Copy Cloner ($40). This means that you can easily reduce your reliance on iCloud on a Mac.

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